Attachment for automatic circular-knitting machines.



N0. 658,4l5. Patented Sept. 25, I900. A. G. WRIGHT.

ATTACHMENT FOB AUTOMATIC CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES.

(Applicationfiled Dec. 12, 1899. (No Model.) I 4 Sheeta$heet l.

THE norms prrzns co. FHOTO-LITHOY, WASHINGTON, u. c.

No. 658,4:5. Patented Sept. 25,1900. A. a. wmaan nucnmzm Fon AUTOMATICmacaw: Kumms MACHINES.

(Application filed Dee. 12 1899.) (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Shaet 2.

lllllllllllllllllll l 24w ff EIERS co PHDTO-LITHOJWASHINGTON u c No.658,415. Patented Sept. 25, I900. A. G. WRIGHT.

ATTACHMENT FOR AUTOMATIC CIRCULAR KNlTTiNG MACHINES.

(Application filed Dec. 12, 1899.) (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

m... 4. fwd v g f g No. 658,415. Patented Sept. 25, I900 A. s. wmen'r.ATTACHMENT FOR AUTOMATIC CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES.

(Application filed Dec. 12, 1899. (No Model.) 4 Sheets8heet 4.

W4, 9%wd4- m: warns PETERS co. PHOTO-LlTHO-, wasnmurouj 0 c1 UnmetSTATES ALFRED G. WRIGHT, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THENATIONAL AUTOMATIC KNITTER COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

ATTACHMENT FOR AUTOMATIC ClRCULAR-KNlTTlNG MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 658,415, datedSeptember 25, 1900.

Application filed December 12, 1899. Serial No. 740,063. [No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALFRED G. WRIGHT, a citizen of the United States,residing at the city of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia andState of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Attachments for Automatic Circular-Knitting Machines, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention has relation to a knitting-machine of the type or classknown as a circular-knitting machine such as is illustrated in theLetters Patent of the United States No. 536,616, granted to E. J. Franckunder date of April 2, 1895, and in such connection it relates moreparticularly to the construction and arrangement of the mechanism,compris ing an attachment whereby open or lace work may be knit inconjunction with the regularly-formed meshes usually knit upon themachine.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a circular-knittingmachine with two needle-carriers, one of said carriers receiving andguiding the fashioning-needles and the other carrier receiving andguiding the ordinary needles, and an attachment whereby the ordinaryneedles are adapted to knit open or lace work during fabrication of thearticle to be knit.

My invention, stated in general terms, consists of an attachment forautomatic circularknitting machines constructed and arranged insubstantially the manner hereinafter described and claimed.

The nature and scope of my invention will be more fully understood fromthe following description, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, forming part hereof, in which Figure l is a front elevationalview of the upper portion of a circular-knitting machine, the attachmenttherefor embodying my invention being connected therewith. Fig. 2 is avertical central sectional view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a top or plan viewof Fig. 1, certain parts being sectioned or broken away to more clearlyillustrate the construction of the attachment. Fig. 4 is a sideelevational view of Fig. 1 looking toward the right-hand side of themachine, with the needle-carrier in a depressed position. Fig. 5 is anenlarged vertical sectional view illustrating in detail the right-handside of Fig. 2, the needle-carrier, however, being depressed. Fig. 6 isan underneath plan view, enlarged, of the plate secured to theneedlecarrierin which the jacks are adapted to slide. Fig. 7 is asimilar view of the concentric and slitted ring for operating the jackswhich momentarily regulate the movement of certain of the regularneedles in the carrier. Fig. 8 is a side elevational view, enlarged, ofone of the jacks for regulating the movement of said needles. Fig. 9 isa similar view of a jack which always looks a needle to the carrier; andFigs. 10, 11, and 12 are perspective views illustrating,diagrammatically, certain steps in the formation of the open-workmeshes.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the main portions of themachine arearranged and operate in substantially the manner illustratedand described in Letters Patent No. 536,616, hereinabove referred tothat is to say, the needle-cylinder a is provided on its periphery withlongitudinallyarranged grooves, in which are adapted to reciprocate twodistinct sets of needles, one set I) occupying the grooves of onehalfthe periphery of the cylinder-and being the fashioning-needles, whereasthe other set I) are arranged in the remaining grooves and are theregular needles. As explained in the prior patent, thefashioning-needles have at their lower ends the springs b which normallylock the needles to their carrier at, while the other needles I) havebitsor projections 5 by means of which they are normally locked to theircarrier at. The sinkerbars 6, sinker-bar bed 6, web-holders (2 andbeard-closing ring a are likewise of the same general type asillustrated and described in said patent and operate in substantiallythe the same manner, and detailed description thereof in the presentspecification is therefore not deemed necessary.

The present improvement resides in the means for controlling themovement .Of, certain of the regular needles I), so that those needlesat predetermined intervals will not be carried downward by the carrier dto permit, in conjunction with the heard-closing ring e the casting offof loops from said needles.

dles b are arranged in the cylinder an according to the pattern oflacework desired. In the instance illustrated in the drawings theneedles I) are arranged as follows: Two needles are inserted in thegrooves of the cylinder a, then two grooves are left vacant, then asingle needle 19 is inserted in the next groove, and then after leavingthe next two grooves unoccupied the following two grooves are filledwith the needles I), and so on around the semiperiphery of theneedle-cylinder. With respect to the needles I), arranged in groups oftwo, it may be remarked that these needles always, when in operation,knit the regular meshes f, as illustrated in Figs. 10, 11, and 12. Theyare normally locked to their carrier (1 by a removable jack g (see Figs.6 and 9) and have no vertical movement with respect to the carrier. Thecarrier cl carries at its upper face a semicircular plate 9, the underface of which is radially slotted for the reception of the removablejacks g, which normally look the needles b to the carrier cl, and theother jacks h, which serve, as hereinafter described, to lock or releasethe needles b in the carrier d. The jacks h are illustrated in detail inFigs. 2, 5, and8 and consist of a horizontal fiat strip h, having theinnerend cut out, as at 712, and fit upon the bits 12 of the needles I).The strip h is also provided at its other end with two upwardlyprojecting prongs h and h. The I jack h is adapted to slide horizontallyin the jack-plate g, and when pushed inward, as illustrated in Fig. 2,will lock the needle 11 to the carrier; but when pushed outward, asillustrated in Fig. 5, it will be withdrawn from the bit 12 of needle I)and allow a slight movement of said needle in the carrier andindependent of the movement of said carrier.

The movement of the jacks h in the plate g is accomplished by thefollowing preferred mechanism: Belowthe sinker-bed e and on the ring a,in which the web-holders e are adapted to oscillate, is arranged 37 mg72, having a depending flange 72 midway of its two peripheries. From theouter periphery to the base of the flange h are arranged a series ofradially-disposed vertical grooves W, and from the inner periphery tothe base of flange 71 are arranged a similar series of grooves h which,however, are not cut on the same radial lines as are the grooves 717,but are approximately midway between said grooves. The ring 71. isadapted to oscillate slightly on the ring a, and to permit of theoscillation the ring 77, is slotted, as at h, at various points in itsperiphery, and through these slots h the supporting pins or screws h areinserted and enter the ring a. It will thus be seen that the ring 72.may be readily turned the length of a slot h in either direction on ringa. The length of slot 71" corresponds to half the distance between anytwo grooves IL7 or h so that when the ring 7L5 is In carrying out myinvention the neeturned to one end of the slot the grooves b will occupythe same relative position as was occupied by grooves h when the ring 71had been turned so that the pins h rested on the opposite ends of theslots h".

Referring now to Fig. 5, it will be seen that the ring if has beenturned so that the series of slots k are in direct alinement with theouter projection h of the jacks h and that the unslotted portions of theinner periphery of the ring 71 are in alinement with the other prongs hof said jacks h. When now the needle-carrier d is raised in theoperation of the machine, the ring 71 will strike against the innerprong 71, of the jacks h, and thereby force all ofsaid jacks h inward tolock the bits 1) of needles b to the carrier d. If, however, the ring his turned in the opposite direction, then the slots 77. are in alinementwith the inner prongs h and the unslotted portion of the outer peripheryof the ring 71 is in alinement with the outer prongs 72. of jacks h.When now the carrier d is raised, the ring 71 will shift all the jacks houtward to release the bits b of needles I) from the carrier dsufficiently to allow them to play in a space formed between the underface of plate g and the upper face of a projection d of carrier at. Thisplay of the bits b as will be hereinafter more particularly described,permits of the formation of those meshes f which constitute the open orlace work of the fabric.

The oscillation of the ring 71 is accomplished by the followingpreferred mechanism: Referring to Figs. 1, 3, and 4, the ring 7L5carries a pin or shaftm, projecting radially from its .outer periphery.This pin 'm at its free end enters a fork or clutch m, secured to andprojecting upward from an arm m disposed rock-shaft m suitably inclosedin a tubular bearing m supported by the framework of the machine. On thelower end of the shaft m is secured a rock-arm m having a forked end minclosing the two faces of a ratchet pattern-wheel m This wheel mlisprovided on its respective faces with a series of removable buttons madapted as the wheel m is turned to impinge against The arm m is carriedby a vertically- IIO one side or the other of forks m and to therebyshift said fork m and rock-arm m in alternat-e directions. The movementof rockarm m thus obtained is transmitted through shaft m to the arm mand the fork m, and said fork m will shift the'pi'n 'm correspondingly.The ring 715 will thus respond to the direct movement of pin m, whichmovement is controlled by the pattern-wheel m The ratchet pattern-wheelm is advanced step by step by means of a pawl 72, the movement of thepawl being preferably controlled by the up-and-down movement of theneedle-carrier d. This is accomplished by securing to the needle-carrierd a bar or pin n, adapted as the needle-carrier cl descends to, impingeupon and depress the free end of a lever 71 the other end of said levern being secured to a rock-shaft 01 This rock-shaft n has a rock-arm 72to which the pawl 11 is secured. The rock-arm n is under the tension ofa spring a which normally tends to retract the arm n and pawl a and toelevate the lever 77. when the carrier d rises. If desired, and in thefabrication of a stocking it may become necessary, the pawl a may bewholly withdrawn from the notches or teeth of the ratchet-Wheel m asfollows: The pawl n carries a pin 0, beneath which rests a hook o. Thehook o is adapted to be raised by causing a lever 0 carrying said hook,to be oscillated, and for this purpose the lever at one end is pivotedto a rock-arm 0 adapted to be operated by the shifting of a bar or rod 0The play of the bits b of needles I) in the carrier d may be regulatedby removably securing to the under face of the plate ga ring 1) ofprescribed thickness.

The formation of the fabric is illustrated diagrammatically in Figs. 10,11, and 12. In Fig. 10 the needles I) are shown in full lines as havingbeen fully depressed by their needle-carrier, and hence the meshes fareall regularly formed. The needles 19 however, are not fully depressedfor the reason that their bits being free in the carrier the beards ofsaid needles I) will extend above the beards of the other needles 5 adistance corresponding to the extent of play of the bits in the carrier.Now in the formation of the fabric illustrated in the drawings the bitsof the needles I) are supposed to have this play for three successiveoperations of the carrier, and hence these needles b as shown, retain apreviously-formed loop f and three elongated or crossing loops f At theneXt operation of the needle-carrier, as shown in Fig. 11, all theneedles I), as well as b, are locked to the carrier, and hence theneedles b will form a new loop f and will be depressed sufficiently tocast off the previously-formed loop f and the crossing-loops J. In Fig.12 the needles 12 being still locked to the carrier a second new loop fis formed by said needles, the completed fabric at the openwork partthus consisting, as originally designed, of sectionsfof regularly-formedloops joined by other sections f, which consist of threecrossing-loopsf, held between the loop f and the two loops f and f.

It will be readily understood that the particular pattern of fabricillustrated may be varied at pleasure in two ways-namely, first, bymeans of variations in the location of the buttons in the pattern-wheelm which will control the number of crossing-loopsj, as well as thealternation of said crossing-loops with the other loops f f and f, and,second, by the relative arrangement of the neodles b with respect to theneedles I) in the needle-cylinder a.

Having thus described the nature and object of my invention, what Iclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a circulawknitting machine of the character described, a series ofregular nee dles, divided into two sets, a carrier, means forreciprocating said carrier to operate both sets of needles, a lockingmechanism for each needle of one set carried by said carrier and adaptedto radially traverse the same to lock or release'each needle of said setin the carrier, and means for operating said mechanism, substantially asand for the purposes described.

2. In a circular-knitting machine of the character described, a seriesof regular needles, divided into two sets, a carrier means forvertically moving said carrier to operate both sets of needles, a seriesof jacks adapted to be shifted in and out of said carrier to lock orrelease one set of needles to the carrier and means for operating saidjacks, substantially as and for the purposes described.

3. In a circular-knitting machine of the character described, a seriesof needles divided into two sets, a carrier adapted to be elevated anddepressed to thereby operate both sets of needles, a series of removablejacks adapted to-permanently lock one set of needles in the carrier, anda series of movable jacks adapted to be shifted in said carrier to lockor release the other set of needles in said carrier, substantially asand for the purposes described.

4. In a circular-knitting machine of the character described, a seriesof needles divided into two sets, a carrier adapted to operate both setsof needles, a series of jacks adapted to permanently lock one set ofneedles in said carrier, a second series of jacks each provided with twoupwardly-projecting prongs and adapted to slide in and. out in theneedle-carrier to lock or release the other set of needles in saidcarrier and an oscillating ring adapted to impinge alternately uponeither of the prongs of said jacks and to thereby shift said jacks in oroutin the carrier when said carrier is operated in one direction,substantially as and for the purposes described.

5. In a circular-knitting machine of the character described, aneedle-carrier, means for moving said carrier up and down in a verticaldirection, a set of needles adapted to be locked or released in saidcarrier and when released to have a vertical play in said carrierindependent of the vertical movement of said carrier, means for lockingor releasing said needles, and mechanism operated by the carrier forcontrolling said means, substantially as and for the purposes described.

6. In a circular-knitting machine of the character described, aneedle-carrier, a set of needles adapted to be locked or released insaid carrier and when released to have a vertical play in said carrierindependent of the vertical movement of said carrier, a series of jacks,each provided with two upwardly-extending prongs and adapted to slide inand out in said carrier to lock or release the needles in the carrier;an oscillating ring adapted to enter between the prongs of the jackswhen the carrier is operated in one direction and means controlled bythe carrier for oscillating said ring to cause said ring to impinge uponeither of said prongs and thereby shift the jacks in or out in saidcarrier, substantially as and for the purposes described.

7. In a circular-knitting machine of the character described, a needlecarrier, a grooved plate secured to the upper face of said carrier, aset of needles carried by said carrier, a series of jacks adapted toslide in the grooves of said plate to lock or release the needles insaid carrier, means for operating said jacks and mechanism operated bythe carrier for controlling said means, substantially as and for thepurposes described.

lng witnesses.

ALFRED G. WRIGHT. Witnesses J. WALTER DOUGLASS, RICHARD O. MAXWELL.

